The Kansas City Chiefs just traded their two-time Pro Bowl CB in Marcus Peters to the Los Angeles Rams. While the trade cannot be finalized officially until March 14th, rumors started swirling a week or two ago about a potential Marcus Peters trade, but nobody bought into the idea that it would actually happen. Yet here we are.

In the deal, the Chiefs will reportedly send Marcus Peters and a 2018 sixth-round draft pick in exchange for the Rams’ 2018 fourth-round pick and their 2019 second-round pick, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The Chiefs will also reportedly part ways with Safety Ron Parker, who played a team high for snaps on defense last season. These moves are an effort to move on from Peters’ on-field antics, get younger in the secondary, and to clear up cap space.

Peters continually had outbursts on the field throughout his first three seasons in the league, and even with the coaches and leaders like Justin Houston and Eric Berry attempting to settle Peters down, they were not able to fully control his antics. GM Brett Veach decided that it was time for a change in scenery for Peters. Peters has expressed interest in a long-term deal to become one of, if not the, highest paid CB in the NFL, and while his stats certainly back that up, the Chiefs simply weren’t willing to dish out that kind of contract, especially after former GM John Dorsey put the Chiefs in a very bad position salary-cap wise.

While Peters is at an all-pro level, talent wise, there was not a huge market for him. The Chiefs were reportedly trying to shop Peters for three weeks but only two teams expressed interest, one of them being the Los Angeles Rams, which drove the price for Peters down, as there would not be as much competition to acquire him.

Furthermore, Ron Parker was a 30-year old safety that was owed $7 million this season; an uncomfortable salary for a player that age and skill level for Brett Veach, who looks to acquire younger talent via the draft to surround new franchise-QB Patrick Mahomes with the next generation of Chiefs. This move also creates an additional $4.9 Million in cap space.

These moves allow for the Chiefs to have $19 million in cap space once the new league year, and free agency, start on March 14th. The Chiefs can also create an additional $6.6 million in cap space if LB Tamba Hali retires or is released.

These moves reflect Brett Veach’s willingness to right the ship after John Dorsey destroyed the Chiefs cap in his tenure as GM. Additionally, Veach looks to continue developing a positive culture with the franchise, something that the Chiefs have been exceptionally good at since Dorsey and Head Coach Andy Reid arrived in 2013, which has resulted in two straight division titles.

All in all, the slew of recent moves allows the Chiefs to be aggressive in the upcoming draft with their picks, as they have seven total draft picks this season, and save a ton of cap space, which gives the Chiefs more flexibility in free agency. The Chiefs could also potentially package some of their picks this year to move into the first round of the upcoming draft.